How is the Electoral College chosen?
Who selects the electors? Choosing each State’s electors is a two-part process. First, the political parties in each State choose slates of potential electors sometime before the general election. Second, during the general election, the voters in each State select their State’s electors by casting their ballots.
How is the number of electoral college seats per state determined?
Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts.
What is the difference between popular vote and electoral vote?
When citizens cast their ballots for president in the popular vote, they elect a slate of electors. Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election.
How is a number of electors assigned to a state?
Under the “Electoral College” system, each state is assigned a certain number of “votes”. The formula for determining the number of votes for each state is simple: each state gets two votes for its two US Senators, and then one more additional vote for each member it has in the House of Representatives.
What is the job description of the Electoral College?
An electoral college is a group of people who are chosen to elect a candidate to a particular office (job). The electors usually have one vote each. Often each elector represents a particular organization or entity.
What is the intent of the Electoral College?
The Electoral College was created with the intent of giving all states, and therefore their citizens, an equal say in the nation’s matters, regardless of state size.
Why is the Electoral College so important?
The Electoral College is important because it ensures the President of the United States is selected by the constitutional majority. Basically, the Electoral College magnifies the margin of victory and grants legitimacy to the winners.
What are the arguments against the Electoral College?
Arguments against the Electoral College It’s too complicated. Under the Electoral College, votes count only at the state level—if you vote Republican but your state goes Democrat (or vice versa), then your candidate doesn’t get any of your state’s Electoral votes—they all go to the other guy.